#transformational vs affirmational

[icanseethefuture333]

PAC: How you see your appearance vs how other people percieve your beauty 🤍

Please feel free to leave a tip $$$

"I see your true colors shining through. . . And that's why I love you 🌈"

Pile 1:

Shufflemancy -

Platform Shoes by Slayyyter

Splish Splash by DreamDoll ft. Cupcakke

Say Yes To Heaven by Lana Del Rey

Ace of Water, The Emperor, & Seven of Water "Illusion"

You are just tooooo cute, Pile 1 💞! Literally the embodiment of sugar, spice, and everything nice. I feel like you are a very cute and adorable person. Your appearance could be feminine and clean. I'm thinking of the pink, coquette aesthetic. I also see glossy lips, nail sets, and long eyelashes (you could wear extensions or need to go get them filled in again). You see yourself as gentle and caring. You may think you are fragile or dainty? Or resemble characters from those 2000s movies or you remind people of a novel love interest. Your style could be either soft, mcbling, or y2k, possibly a mixture of them all. You could use like childhood movies, stuffed animals, or shopping for comfort or as a coping method. There is also something unique about your appearance, perhaps you have beauty mark, freckles, a crooked tooth, round cheeks, etc. You have something that makes you stand out! Which is really cool :D! How people percieve your beauty - they think you are unreal somehow? They think you are like "Hollywood star" beauty. Even though you are not "perfect" it makes you likeable and relatable. For those who have a social media influence or popular regarding to their school, hometown, etc. Some might even wonder if you had plastic surgery done. Also for those wondering if you'd look good with plastic surgery - yes you would! I'm not seeing anything too extreme as regards to plastic surgery but for those who like the "bimbo" look they could totally rock it. Or you are able to transform yourself with makeup. People who identify as more masculine or men find you so attractive. You could be popular amongst mascfems, studs, or men who are comfortable with their masculinity. It's giving "my girl can wear whatever she wants because I know how to fight". For any men reading this 🥰 I feel like people are so in awe or you! Like you would be the prettiest man anyone has ever seen in their life. (Clarified by The Moon. Faking It by Sasha Alex Sloan). Aw you really are a sensitive person deep down, pile 1. I feel like not many get to see you when you are down or know about the late nights you stayed up crying. You may have had your heart broken before or had your heart broken by someone more than once (I'm so sorry :(!). I feel like when you have your moments of depression or feel sadness you feel really self conscious. So you could use makeup as a mask to cover to what you're feeling down. You don't have to fake a smile or portray being happy, baby. Try to practice some self care and focus on your inner beauty when you feel deep down. Spend time with a trusted friend and tell then what's been on your mind. Practicing affirmations and mirror work can also help past wounds. Take care of that precious, tenderheart of yours my little carebear 🐻!

Pile 2:

Shufflemancy -

I Am Who Am (Killin' Time) by Mac Miller ft. Niko Randa

Wake Up by Logic ft. Lucy Rose

Wife You Up by Russ

King of Fire, Adjustment, & The Sun

Pile 2, I feel that you are a natural beauty! You're not one for wearing lots of makeup or styling your hair too much. I see that you just really like to be comfortable. For how you view yourself, you could really like your facial structure :)! Your cheekbones might be defined or you have a nice jawline. On a typical day to day, your everyday style would consist of your hair pulled up into a ponytail or bun, wearing sweats, or a t shirt and jeans. You could also be a hard worker or your job requires you to have shifts early in the morning. For some of you in this pile, you could work in a café and make coffee, tea, boba, smoothies, or anything to do with drinks. People at your job love coming to you because you give great customer service. Also they see you as "girl/boy next door type". A friendly, good citizen. For how others percieve your beauty - they think your features are balanced and harmonious. Perhaps your face is quite symmetrical or your beauty feels familiar. You also have a very radiant smile or your laugh could be unexpected! You are a very bright and charming person ☀️! (Clarified by Four of Earth "Stability". Baby Girl by Chloe x Halle) I feel that you have been putting off a dream or haven't been paying attention to your inner child. pile 2. What have you done for yourself lately? You should take a break and focus on doing some fun activities to take care of your spirit. You are very generous towards others but seem to neglect your own needs sometimes! Try to go for a nice walk or be in nature, it'll do you some good! Also don't be afraid of being silly, you don't have to be so serious all the time. Perhaps doing volunteer work at a children's school or museum could let your playful side come out to play. Your inner child also wants to do some coloring or dancing. For some people in this pile, leap frog could be significant or a favorite childhood game 🐸.

Pile 3:

Shufflemancy -

Stretch You Out by Summer Walker ft. A Boogie Wit da Hoodie

Masquerade by Siouxxie Sixxsta

Test Drive by Ariana Grande

Two of Earth "Change", Nine of Water "Joy", & Nine of Earth "Gain"

This pile is very specific. I'm seeing dark hair, dark eyes, and fair to medium skintones. Your hair could be straight and black or dark brown (some of you have dyed your hair a wine red). Your eyes are almond shaped and your eyebrows are arched. If you identify as feminine, you really give off like 2014 ig baddie vibes, pile 3! Some of you could be black, Hispanic/Latin, or Southeast Asian descent. I'm reminded of those tiktoks of girls doing "chicana" makeup, so that could be how you like to do your makeup. For the fellas, you could have nice eyebrows, and a moustache that compliments your full lips. I feel very strongly that you have Scorpio, Sagittarius, or Virgo in your big 3. For how you view yourself, you don't like to stick with one look, you are always changing up your appearance 😂. I feel like when you are sticking to one thing for too long you're like "ugh I need to dye my hair" or "I need a new tattoo". You always have a different style. You like to switch it up every now and then. For how others see your beauty, they see you as very abundant! You may wear high quality jewelry (diamond earrings, gold necklace, etc.), luxury brands, and expensive shoes (some people here are sneakerheads 👟). They could admire as well that you're generous with your wealth and you could do a lot or provide for your family. (Clarified by Four of Water "Comfort". Again by P-Lo, E-40, & LaRussell). Some of you could like to party?! LMAO. In my card there is otters here and I feel that you have a group of friends that you hang out with on a daily basis. Some of you could like to go out clubbing and enjoy drinking alcohol? 😂 You usually have to be responsible in your family but with your friends you get to be the one who can be reckless instead. There's something about a car so if that doesn't resonate with you, either you or your friend take turns being designated drivers. Be careful when driving, pile 3! Have fun rolling with the homies 🚗

Pile 4:

Shufflemancy -

Unique by Miliyah

Smoke Weed Eat P*ssy by Ängie

Roof by Rico Nasty

Four of Fire "Perfection", Ace of Earth, & Four of Air of "Truce"

Pile 4, you are really confident in yourself! I'm seeing that you don't really care what other thinks about how you look and live to please yourself. Your style could be alternative, you have bangs, and your hair has layers. Perhaps you have a mullet, curtain bangs, or a feathered layers. Some of you have your hair dyed with highlights such as green, blue, blonde, etc. For your makeup, your eyeliner could have a thick wing, or you have a signature smokey eye look. You could also like to have wear faux freckles or you have actual freckles. Your lips could often be seen with black lip liner and a signature cherry red lipstick. You could have piercings, I'm seeing specifically a septum piercing, snake bites, or gauges. There could also be a tattoo on your shoulder, forearm, or back, even possibly a sleeve. There could be Aries, Taurus, or Aquarius in your big 3 as well. You could also be apart of the LGBTQ+ community. How people perceive your beauty is that you have a tough exterior but deep down you are a calm and peaceful person. Which is interesting in comparison to your appearance. Your aura is comforting and nice to be around :D! (Clarified by Six of Fire "Success". Falling for U by Peachy!, MXMTOON) This is so cute 🥺! So there is someone who secretly has a crush on you or you have some secret admirers. Possibly someone in your friend or group you interact with on a daily basis. They are super shy around you and wish they could tell you how pretty/handsome that you are ☺️. If you already know who this is and feel the same way, perhaps encourage them a bit or flirt with them so they could confess their feelings 💞 (*sniffles* I ship 🤧😍)

Pile 5:

Shufflemancy -

Use Your Heart - Interlude by SWV

Love You Down by Ready For The World

Freakend by Megan Thee Stallion

The Empress, Ace of Water, & Temperance

Okay Pile 5, I know this is tired and old but... Mommy? Yes. Mommy? Yes. I cannot 😭 Some of you could give off milf vibes and you know this. You are either mature for your age or this pile is for my ladies in their 30s and up (It's giving "Damn Ms.Parker finer than a motherf*cker, I'd knock the dust OFF that p*ssy!" 😂😂😂). This Pile is very feminine and sensual. Your body could be very curvaceous 😏 body shaped like a figure 8 fr. Your lips could be plump and kissable as well 😚. If you identify as a masculine (either pronouns, style, gender, etc). You are just a very beautiful man. You could possibly get babied by the female figures in your life lol. Perhaps you have older sisters or a lot of women in your family. You just appear as the people would say "written by a woman". You could like to wear long flowy dresses, heels, cardigans, blouses, etc. Some people here could love the 80s/90s aesthetic. I'm visualizing somebody with big fluffy curls. Also you could attract partners who are younger than you or crave someone who is maternal in their life 🥴. (Clarified by The High Priestess. So Much More by Xaiver Omär) For how people perceive your beauty, you are down to earth, and just naturally stunning. You could have a good heart as well and possibly do some sort of service for the community. You could be great with kids or love animals as well. Religion or spirituality is significant in your life. So your devotion to God or your faith in the spiritual realm is admirable. People find you wise and want to gain knowledge from your life lessons. I feel that some of you may worry people only consider you just a pretty face with a nice body but that's far from the truth. The people who do appreciate you think you are so kind and memorable to them. Also if you ever feel insecure or lonely, your spirit guides want you to know how much they love you. So if you ever need someone to comfort you in a time of need, call upon your deities, angels, etc.

Pile 6:

Shufflemancy -

Girls by Kid Cudi ft Too $hort

Single by The Neighbourhood

겨울 탓 (Winter) by SAAY ft. Woo

The Tower, Eight of Earth "Circumspection", & Ace of Air

Trigger warning

This is interesting. So Pile 6, I see that your appearance actually makes you feel stress or turmoil at times. You could be really self conscious about how you look. For some of you, you could have experienced some sort of traumatic event, or had an injury which drastically caused for you to change. For example, you could have burn scars, large bruises, etc. Some other messages coming through that your self image is warped due to experiencing some sort of abuse (either from a partner, bullying at school, etc). I am really sorry for everything you're going 🥺! I wish you healing and hope you can grow to learn to like how you look. Just know that what other people said or done to you is never your fault and just projecting their own self hatred and insecurities onto you. Now to talk about your physical traits that stand out. You have wavy light brown hair, brown to hazel eyes, and textured skin (sun spots, freckles, wrinkles, etc). For how people perceive your beauty, I see you have some supporters who find your story very motivational. People in your family know the hard work and the steps you took in order to survive and they commend you for it. This is a selective message for only of a few of you but your ancestors have been with you since the beginning of your journey. In this card there is a family of elephants, animals who are known to never forget. Your guides want you to remember the people who did you wrong but also learn to not hold grudges because it will hinder your growth. Practicing journaling, shadow work, and using prompts could help improve your self esteem and provide clarity as to why you have such negative thoughts about your appearance. Also maybe asking your loved ones what makes you beautiful could you help a boost of condience. (Clarified by Mother of Earth. Glitch by Buddy ft. Tinashe) I feel as you get older, you are going to appreciate yourself, your life, and the lessons it had for you. I'm even seeing as you age you will look even more beautiful! One day your will develop wrinkles in the corner of your eyes and see gray hairs at your roots but you will find yourself to be happy about it. Gratitude is a big thing here. The reason why it's because you have to think about not many people live a long life so the fact that you will be blessed to do that, is amazing! Also for some of you I could see that you will look into manifestation. Perhaps you will use law of attraction, subliminals, or affirmations to work on your confidence and feeling more beautiful. You will start trusting your intuition and experiencing "glitches" in the matrix. You will see life doesn't have to be so hard or always be difficult, there can be wonderful moments as well.

Pile 7:

Shufflemancy -

January 28th by J. Cole

AMERICAN GURL by Kilo Kish

EARTHA by Jamila Woods

Six of Air "Knowledge", Five of Air "Conflict, & The Hermit (reversed)

Pile 7, I feel that you are just now acknowledging how beautiful you are! Perhaps you went through a period of being a wallflower or were very shy. You are coming out of your shell and taking steps in embracing your beauty :D! Awesome! Your appearance could be very ethereal. I'm getting that you have features that stand out and you are beautiful with an eclectic style. I'm reminded of like a alien or stars in the galaxy (some of you could be interested in starseeds, sci-fi, or conspiracy theories). This message could be only for some but there was either a friend or ex partner that you had in your life that was jealous of you. They would put you down so you wouldn't feel confident in yourself (Yuck! What a hater 🙄). This caused you to feel self conscious and out of place but now you are taking back your power. You are realizing this person was just projecting their own issues onto you. If this person is still in your life, I highly advise that you cut this person off! They don't wish to see you happy or succeed. I am sure you know who this person is as well. (Clarified by The Star. Vamp by Father ft Tommy Genesis) Oh yeah this person is gonna be fucking miserable 😂. You are gonna experience a huge glow up, Pile 7! I feel like this person has been giving you the evil eye and your spirit guides are not playing that shit. They are gonna get what's coming to them for trying to dim your light and sabotage you. The energy vampire will be gone 🧛🏽‍♀️! You are going to be healing your self esteem and from the past wounds people have inflicted onto you. You get to shine bright and be the star that you are my lovely, pile 7 🌠 Congratulations!

Pile 8:

Shufflemancy -

BIBI Vengeance by BIBI

Icy by Kim Petras

Do You? By Troyboi

The Magus, The High Priestess, & Mother of Air

Pile 8, honestly you are cool as fuck 😎! You could be a model or into fashion, if not, you totally should to start pursuing something along those lines of a career because you have such a chic aura! I'm seeing that you could have sleek hair, slanted eyes, and a prominent facial structure. I'm being reminded of models like Sora Choi and Anok Yai. You could have cool toned skin and wear colors that contrast well with your undertones. You have almost like a ice queen/king presence. People could be intimidated by your presence or find you very intriguing. You could have a popular social media presence or would be eventually be big on the internet. I believe you are aware that because of your appearance it could be marketable or know your looks could attract financial wealth. For how others perceive your beauty; They consider you mysterious, smart, and strong. (Clarified by Two of Air "Equilibrium". DICTATOR by REI AMI.) I'm being reminded of Azula from The Avatar: The Last Airbender. She was raised to be a weapon by her father but was just only a teenager. She began to crack under pressure and suffered a mental breakdown in the dual with her brother Zuko and Katara. You could have a duality to yourself. On the outside, you are stoic and regal - but deep down you could be sentimental and nervous. You could be nostalgic about some things in your life and possibly worry about if you are making the right decisions. Some of you could have parents with strong expectations as well. Please don't be so hard on yourself, pile 8! It's okay to make mistakes for that is how we learn. I know it can be scary to be vulnerable but try to let others in and get to know you for the real you. You could have a avoidant attachment and often doubt others when they try to show their love for you. You don't trust many people and either stay alone or only have a few close friends that you adore. I'm seeing also that you are artistic and have a strong work ethic. For some of you, you could have anxiety, which affects your mental health. Try to pick up a hobby to help calm you down or ease those racing thoughts of yours. Being in nature, socializing with animals, or going to a art class could be helpful or significant to some of you.

Pile 9:

Shufflemancy -

Press Your Number by Taemin

Deja Vu by ATEEZ

Pretty by FAKY

Daughter of Fire, Ace of Fire, & Wheel of Fortune

Omg pile 9, you are my hotties 🥵😍!!! You know you're the shit and nobody could tell you different (period!). You really have the mindset of being the "main character" and live life to the fullest. You could have short hair, buzzcut, or part of your head is shaved while the rest of it is long (Word to Doja: "Lost a lil' weight, but I ain't never lost a tushy. Lookin' good, but now my bald head match my 🐱"). You could also have a prominent nose, plump lips, darker skin, piercings (eyebrow, nose, or lip? Possibly all 3!), and a tummy pouch (you could have a belly button piercing too). Some of you could be proud of your booty or like to twerk, don't matter the size 😂. You wear bangles, crystals, waistbeads, and gold hoops. As for your style you dress like it's summer all the time. You could wear tube tops, crop tops, denim shorts/capris, baggy jeans, flip flops, and sneakers. You could get compliments a lot and be told that your style is "fresh". For how people perceive your beauty, they think you are lucky, blessed, and a joy to be around! I'm getting a vision of someone rub their hands 👏🏽. So people want to rub off some of your luck. NSFW but some people want to feel up on you 😂. They think your skin looks radiant and soft or want to touch your curves/muscles. (Clarified by The Sun. Going Off by P-Lo) Idk why I'm hearing "Step outside hoe. Step outside!" 🤣 You are enjoying your freedom and letting loose. You could be the type of person people always see on social media traveling places or partying. If any of you still live with your parents, y'all are stressing your mfin' parents tf OUT 😭💀! You could have to sneak out or lie about where you're going with a cover up outfit just to go places. You get away with a lot though because of how much they love you 😮‍💨 I'm getting some of you could be the youngest child. Your family think you can be a knucklehead but they love your energy and you make them laugh and smile during the hard times. Also this could be a message for a select few but some of y'all need to stop getting into fights or arguments 😭! Please learn to pick and choose your battles lol. Make sure to handle your substances responsibly (Mary Jane by Rick James came on so if you guys like to smoke weed or drink alcohol, be careful of your surroundings 😅!).

[itgirlmind]

｡ﾟﾟ･｡･ﾟﾟ｡ ﾟ。 𝒾𝓉 𝑔𝒾𝓇𝓁 𝓂𝑒𝒹𝒾𝒶 　ﾟ･｡･ﾟ

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ Oh, the Internet. A myriad of a million hyperlinks, videos, and social media platforms barraging us with contradicting advice from every single angle...and here I am to throw some more in your lap! Below are a handful of online blogs, Youtube channels, and Spotify podcasts that I myself love and live by. Truthfully, I did plan on adding a list of self help novels that transformed me into moi but....there's just far too many. Perhaps another time, my darlings! I sincerely hope that the media I've included here resonate with you and allow you to step into your highest self. Enjoy!

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ blogs

La Vie En Rose Diaries by Blair Natalia

Blogpost of Choice: Why I’m Treating Myself like the Princess I Deserve to Be ♡

The It-Girl Diaries by Lydia

Blogpost of Choice: Becoming Your Own Version Of 'That Girl'

The Skinny Confidential by Lauryn Bosstick

Blogpost of Choice: How to Remove Toxicity From Your Mind And Body

Aria Kaiser by Aria Kaiser

Blogpost of Choice: Lets Talk Food

The It Girl Guide (TIGG) by Sky Haarsma

Blogpost of Choice: Our It-Girl Essentials

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ podcasts

Early Call Her Daddy episodes

Sofia With An F by Sofia Franklyn

Busy, Yet Pretty by Jadyn Hailey

The Wellness Cafe by Trinity Tondeleir

The Skinny Confidential by The Skinny Confidential

The Balanced Blonde by Jordan Younger

The Blonde Files by Arielle Lorre

Already Friends by Allison Wetig and Ceara Kirkpatrick

Middle Ground by Jo Johnson and Caroline Stelte

Crying In Public by Sydni and Sarah

The School of Greatness by Lewis Howes

The Tony Robbins Podcast by Tony Robbins

Trying Not To Care by Ashley Corbo

For You From Eve by Olivia Eve Shabo

Unf*ck Your Brain by Kara Loewentheil

The Psychology Of Your 20's by Jenna Sbeg

Habits Of A Goddess (Affirmations)

The goop Podcast by Goop Inc.

Almost 30 by Krista Williams and Lindsey Simcik

Guide Me Glow by Shannon Tang

Girls with Goals by AnnCatherine and Caroline

Hot Girl Energy by Kaylie Stewart

The Bossbabe Podcast by Natalie Ellis and Danielle Canty

Girlboss Radio by Puno

Gals On The Go by Danielle Carolan and Brooke Miccio

Girls That Invest by Sim and Sonya

Her First $100K by Tori Dunlap

Victoria's Thoughts by Victoria de Vall

Breaking Beauty by Jill and Carlene

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ youtube channels

Alay Bowker x Give Me Glow ; vlogs, guides, and inspo

Alyse Parker; wellness, lifestyle, and spirituality

Claudia Sulewski; vlogs, style inspo, lifestyle

dear peachie; beauty, makeup tutorials, makeup trends

Elena Taber; vlogs, lifestyle, and travel

Emma MacDonald; vlogs, hauls, and modeling

Eva Meloche; vlogs, lifestyle, organization inspo

Maddie Lymburner; meals, workouts, lifestyle inspo

MadFit; every type of workout for every type of fitness journey

Makayla Merie; vlogs, workout attire, lifestyle inspo

Meghan Livingstone; holistic nutrition, gut health, meal inspo

Romee Strijd; VS angel turned vlogger

The Skinny Confidential; recipes, girl talk, and wellness

Thewizardliz; the queen of having an "it girl mindset"

Yoga With Adriene; yoga for everybody!

Much love, Auden♡

[pluralsword]

An Essay: Trans History and Retcons Regarding IDW1 Arcee and Her Spotlight

As we've slowly learned more and deeply immersed into IDW1 Arcee's writing over the years, finding much more than just kinship to her, we felt this urge to dig further, to understand, feeling threads that were there regarding trans history, but not having much knowledge regarding historical transmedicalism, so we dug. We dug because we wanted to show that Arcee's writing from 2012-2018 not only is a beautiful trans story unique in science fiction, but that her personality there and in part in her Spotlight (which absolutely did not intend trans stuff and walked into a minefield in that regard that inadvertently opened up the opportunity for the writing and consulting team in Phase 2 and Phase 3 to figure out beautiful character arcs for her) are direct successors of the original personality frameworks for G1 Arcees, and to show the impact and legacy of both Sunbow/Marvel and IDW Arcees along with more Arcees combined on many versions of her thereafter.

Here's the introductory paragraph:

In much of the last decade, a lot of people familiar with Transformers’ trans stories appreciate Arcee being trans and her arcs in that regard from 2012 onwards. But during those six years from 2012-2018 where her narratives that firmly navigated her agency as a trans gal were being established by a number of writers, with consulting help in 2015 for Ask Vector Prime and 2018 for IDW1, there was and remains uncertainty over how exactly that works for her, specifically for her comic iteration where her transness was first hinted and then plainly stated. The variety of understandings in this regard in part originates from her introduction to the IDW1 run, Spotlight Arcee, in 2008, which was received rather turbulently because of how it portrayed her gender and transformer gals at large. Writing years after would navigate resolving this rather beautifully as showing Arcee having struggled with transmedicalism, isolation, abandonment, loneliness, and alienation, the brutality of a violent (and androcentric) world, as many trans people across gender and parallel spectrums or lacks thereof have in real life. Her story is done in a wlw trans gal context in particular. She is shown getting closure on all this, finding her happiness by the end of that continuity that would along with her story at large as a sweet, ferocious, outspoken old warrior sage help set the tone for her portrayals afterwards. Much of this overlaps with how she was described in her The Transformers Universe bio all the way back in 1986. In these regards, we (the writer of this is plural, we'll have a note about that near the end) think it is pertinent to take another look at how her story played out, what was actually written and shown vs. what was intended, to navigate transmedicalist history that overlaps with her story, and to show that Arcee’s trans iterations are directly part of the legacy of G1 Arcee overall

also a brief fact check edit regarding HRT:

we said HRT only effects hormones but realized we should fact check that, and apparently for some people HRT does effect their genes!! (this is separate from the discussion of gender journeys and epigenetics which we personally know next to nothing about) this a deeply understudied topic you can read about it here:

Gender-affirming hormone therapy induces specific DNA methylation changes in blood

[blooming-smiles]

imagine prompt: people say “trevor was never a werewolf” this, “trevor was always a werewolf” that, but consider: trevor USED to be just a weird larping furry, but then he actually got BIT and has to deal with being a real werewolf now

(larping trevor is so real oh my GOD i love this request)

🐺 - trevor turning into a werewolf

- i can see him being in the woods behind at a local park prowling for cryptids on a full moon (specifically a full moon because he marks every full moon on his calendar cus hes a neeeerd)

- he sets up traps for cryptids back there to accost them !! and prove to the world they exist !!!!!! its like a whole thing he’s got a playlist for it and everything

- he sets up the trap and hunkers down behind a bush to watch. a lil while passes and he’s starting to doze off until he hears a rustling in the bushes! and jolts awake!

- hes on the edge of his stump watching the bushes like OH MY GOD WHAT IS THAT!!!! SWAMPMAN? MOTHMAN?? MANMAN???

- and out jumps… a little orange pomeranian

- and hes like OH MY GOD ITS A WEREWOLF!!!!!1!!1!1!1!1!

- but it stands comedically near the trap but not quite there and trevors like UGGHH I GOTTA DO EVERYTHING MYSELF and chase scene ensues

- he chases it through the woods and winds up at this dramatic looking full moon over a valley. he thinks he’s got it cornered so he lunges but he missed by like a lot and it bites him. and hes like OUCH and then WOOSH its gone.

- and hes just left there like. oh my god…. my origin story is so edgy now…..

- i think becoming a werewolf would be affirming for trevor i mean theres definitely pros and cons to it in general but like. its trevor. he wanted it to happen so bad. he’s over the moon about it. might be a lil bummed it didnt come with shapeshifting or electric powers though

- i think that him getting bitten would be a genuinely dramatic event but because trevor over exaggerates a lot, any time he tries to recount it to anyone he’s not believed. the boy who cried wolf….

- i dont know if he’d develop a dog-like mentality when hes transformed or if he’d just stay the same… i think either way he’s going to chaotic about it though hes howling at the moon and digging through peoples trash and shid

- imagine he forgets what happens during his transformation and he just wakes up in some completely random situation every time. pov you are an animal shelter worker and the stray pom you took in last night is now a random teenager going on a tangent about vampires

- i dont think he has many friends prior to the habitat but id like to think he befriended nat later on. (or at least she started tolerating him pfft) i mean she’d be one of the only people to believe him because shes supernatural too. so i think hed really appreciate that and probably leans into the whole werewolf vs vampire thing so much more because now hes an actual werewolf oops

- if he was already a werewolf during the habitat i think thatd make it a neat context for his object head in the 11/22 ending but i think itd be really funny if he got turned after the habitat because like. he already treated nat Like That when he was already human so actually becoming a werewolf would make it so much more annoying to her LOL

- all in all it sure would make larping a hell of a lot more fun for him. just dont let him see a squirrel when hes transformed or its so over

(asks open for requests!)

[cephalotyrant]

Hello. I am once again here to ask for your support-

So... Ridoazu angst (i know not the best introduction)

I can't get it out of my head aghhh sooo I must yap

Azul and Riddle: Azul is more insecure between them, and Riddle is more awkward with romance, right?

So at the beginning of their relationship, Azul is initiating way more, and Riddle can sometimes deffo be awkward when receiving affection. Dismissive about compliments, rolling his eyes at Azul's cheesy pickup lines, etc.

But the thing is: Riddle DOES love Azul (no really?!?!?). He's just awkward about showing it verbally. He invites Azul to Unbirthday parties and his mood is usually notably better with Azul there (Ace will never stop complaining about Azul getting preferential treatment from Riddle NEVER), gives Azul leftovers from stuff Trey made, introduces him to the porcupines, even helps him with Flight Class!!!! Helping Azul with Flight Class requires an insane amount of patience for obstinacy and consistent insistence that "i'm not struggling, I'm just admiring the scenery!" "no free lunch; I must repay you!!!!!!" and it is a testament to his character growth (and love) that riddle puts up with it without collaring azul at some point.

so basically gift-giving and quality time vs words of affirmation and touch as love languages. And Azul being insecure fails to realize that riddle is in fact madly in love with him and that he's just not good with expressing words of affection (because of his mom) and he's not used to affection (also because of his mom mrs. rosehearts PLEASE STOP CONTINUING THE CYCLE OF ABUSE YOUR SON WILL GO NC AND YOU'LL DESERVE IT)

And Azul gets upset but he doesn't ask about this openly or anything no no not at all he's ~ 𝓹 𝓮 𝓽 𝓽 𝔂 ~ about it (because as i've probably said before book 6 azul did NOT know what communication meant) and Riddle's upset because Azul's not telling him the problem and Azul's upset because Riddle's even colder and then-

Something pushes it all over the edge. Maybe a Heartslabyul guy tries to shovel talk Azul or something after seeing Riddle's bad mood or whatever, but it gets pushed and they have an argument.

Ofc because they're my otp and i can't have 'em breaking up it ends happily after the messy fight and they learn. Riddle realizes he can be too cold and end up not consider how Azul feels and Azul realizes he needs to COMMUNICATE HIS FEELINGS ffs instead of just being vaguely petty and hoping riddle takes the hint (like this one scene in the kaguya sama manga where to give kaguya the cold shoulder miyuki gives her slightly cheaper gum than he gives someone else,,, and he's like "omg I'm so cold" that's azul except unlike Kaguya riddle doesn't even notice lmao he's just like "thanks for the gum")

Anyways I just realize how long this is. My humble apologies. Please accept more cake as an offering 🍰🍰🍰🍰🍰🍰🍰🍰🍰🍰🍰🍰

TRAUMATIZED BABY'S FIRST RELATIONSHIP!! YAHOOOO!

I has a bit written and then it deleted itself after I exited the app GODDAMMIT! But it was about Azul being an extra person and accidentally scaring off Riddle a little yeah! Azul's used to physical contact with Floyd who's constantly leaning on him and his supportive family (Mom, stepdad AND grandma? save some for the rest of us damn). It's an entire mission to so much has hold hands for longer than a minute.

Azul getting preferential treatment at Unbirthday Parties... god ace's always getting the short end of the stick isn't he?? I love the third wheel Ace joke so bad. Anyways back to it... hm.. Azul getting upset and not communicating. To be fair Riddle DIDN'T tell him that he was just following the law (You can't practice medicine on people under transformation potions without a specific license) by preventing Azul get hurt in the first place. He may have more experience talking things out (he's the overblotter with arguably the most progress) but he still may say or do smth inconsiderate and sour the mood unintentionally 😭 I can see it. Racking up those misdemeanors. Attempting to help him coming off as bragging and Azul's just too sensitive when it comes to food and is a subject that needs to be treated delicately (which isn't ANY of ncs strong point... especially considering the way the game itself treats it)

The little time they spend with each other becoming tense and Riddle can't figure out why, while Azul keeps thinking that his message is getting across though Riddle just starts getting snappy and curt back. The relationship becoming more stressful than it may be worth... they're BOTH sobbing into their pillows at night. Azul is a little crybaby during their confrontation, which probably kicks it off. It's more of an angry rant about how Riddle totally sucks and Riddles just like "why didn't you tell me any of this EARLIER???"

[finallysafeawakepowerful]

Your human brain wants the comfort of “what it knows” to keep you safe.

It’s a basic function of the human mind to keep you safe in what it knows, even if it’s terrible. REPROGRAM. Some find it hard to truly place themselves in a better world and say a different story depending on their conditioning, especially those with decades long of trauma, stress, abuse etc. Reprogramming to get used to love and ease and abundance can be very hard for the brain hardwired in the opposite. Luckily neural placidity is a thing and it’s possible to get yourself from one polarity, to the other. Hate can be transmutated into love. Fear can be transformed into courage. Despair can be transformed into hope. It’s just a different polarity. It’s all the same - it’s just a different polarity.

Whoever you’re telling yourself you are, you are. Whoever you’re identifying as, you are. Whatever you say you are, is. There’s no difference between that ideal and now - they are not different people - the only difference is the things believed and imagined. It’s just a different polarity, a different place, a different conscious choice of what to tell yourself, what to imagine, who you want to be today. Are you going to let the old comfort story win? YOU’RE IMAGINING AND TELLING YOURSELF THAT THATS THE STORY OF TRUTH AND ITS NO DIFFERENT THAN IF YOU TOLD THE OTHER STORY.

You’re visualizing and imagining to be (for example sake) a weaker version. You’re telling yourself you are, but you could be telling yourself ANY story you want to, not even this one, but you’re choosing to. (Bc it’s what you know) You are IMAGINING you are, you are LIVING as you are, you are TELLING yourself you are, you are BELIEVING yourself to be. And these thoughts and feelings are being experienced by your conscious and subconscious and their only function is to assume that’s what’s true and creates more of that.

You’re imagining and believing and identifying as a weaker version and you’re saying the ideal is different than you and not know, and instead your imagining the opposite of what you want.. The “ideal” version is NO different. It’s just a different polarity. It’s just a different thought process. It’s just a different mind - it’s just different imagination and story you’re telling yourself. It’s just different things you are imagining. There is no difference but your mind is convincing you are. (Maybe conditioning who knows)

You’re placing it elsewhere or as someone else but it’s just a different polarity. It’s just a different shift. There is no need to place it on the pedestal, or separate from you, or different than you. The only difference between who you’re telling yourself you are now and that “better” version you’re placing yourself in the future as is who you’re telling yourself you are now - it’s the same person; imagining and telling a different story as to what is.

You’re saying you’re this (lesser) version and you believe there’s a (better) version and keeping yourself in the old story because you are comfortable there it’s what you know. The human brain needs comfort in what it knows. Venturing into a new timeline is scary for your mind because its function is to keep you safe with what it knows, even if it sucks.

Fight that aspect of your mind. There is no difference between YOU vs YOU. Truly start visualizing, pretending, affirming, whatever you want to say until you’ve hit those neural programming links to convince yourself of this new version until it becomes comfortable and safe and natural.

There’s a deeper layer of your own mind imagining this to be real, and separating the dream as different when they are one and the same. Pretend to be if you need to until it’s comfortable. Truly be if you need to until it’s comfortable.

Convince yourself that: whatever you decide, is. Whatever you say, or whatever you imagine, you know and believe it’s what’s real and what is your true reality and what is to come to pass in accordance to what you say.

“I’m comfortable in this new version. I’m comfortable being this great. This is way better than the past. I love being this new version.”

“The old story and life makes me really uncomfortable and I hate it there. Thinking like that old version makes me uncomfortable. I don’t feel safe there. I don’t like it there.”

“This is what I’m used to now. I love being great. I love everything being easy. I love being in control. I love this new version and life and I hate the old life it makes me so uncomfortable.”

“I feel SO safe in this new version. I feel SO SAFE and secure in this new mindset, world, version, and life and I’m grateful and safe and secure being here. I couldn’t even imagine thinking like the old or living like the old or being there. I feel so safe and loved and secured and confident in this new world for myself. I’ve never known comfort like this and I’m so grateful I get to be here, live like this, think like this, be like this, have all this. Thank you!!! This is so much better.”

[ritchiepage2001newaccount]

Kakistocracy #CorpMedia #Idiocracy #Oligarchs #MegaBanks vs #Union #Occupy #NoDAPL #BLM #SDF #DACA #MeToo #Humanity #DemExit #FeelTheBern

JinJiyanAzadi #BijiRojava The Kurds lose out again [UPDATES]

By pulling out of Syria, the US has betrayed its closest ally in the fight against the "Islamic State." It may turn out to be a grave mistake with serious security consequences for Europe, says Matthias von Hein….

RELATED UPDATE: Whatever Happens Next, Turkey Is in Trouble

RELATED UPDATE: YPJ announces death of commander Rosna Egîd

RELATED UPDATE: Besê Hozat speaks about AP0's historic resistance in Imrali

RELATED UPDATE: KCK stresses on protecting Rojava Revolution in Spirit of resistance, solidarity of Kobanê

RELATED UPDATE: Kalkan: We defend the just cause of the Palestinian people until the end

RELATED UPDATE: Another protester secretly executed in Iran

RELATED UPDATE: '944 is the guarantee of the freedom of the oppressed'

RELATED UPDATE: PAJK: 944 is the most revolutionary, transformative movement of the 21st century

FURTHER READING:

[fanhackers]

New Fanhacker, Old Fan: Francesca

Hi, I’m Francesca Coppa. I was one of the founders of the OTW, and I’ve been a volunteer with the org in some capacity or other ever since.  I’m also a professor–currently Chair of the Department of English Literatures & Writing at Muhlenberg College, cross-appointed in Film Studies. My areas of expertise include dramatic literature, transmedia storytelling, performance studies, and–yes, fan studies.  I’m the author of The Fanfiction Reader: Folk Tales in the Digital Age (U. Michigan 2017) and Vidding: A History (U. Michigan 2022)--the latter of these is free to read on the open source Fulcrum Platform.  Which reminds me: I am also an open culture and fair use advocate, and I work closely with OTW Legal to write briefs and otherwise advocate for laws that preserve fandom’s fair use and transformative rights.

I’ve always said that fandom doesn’t need academia to explain it to itself: fandom has a robust tradition of meta posting and brilliant thinky thoughts. Fandom has also invented a whole critical vocabulary to describe fandom works, cultures, and practices (think of all the words and expressions we use: affirmative vs. transformative fandom, BNF, squee, fanon, dead dove do not eat, squick, drabble, Brit-pick, omegaverse: the whole glossary in Fanlore!) But many fans are scholars of one kind or another, and many scholars are also fans.  I like occupying the between space–I was a fan first, and remain a fan first!–and so I recently joined Fanhackers to have an in-between space to talk and think about fandom with others who are interested in meta and fan studies scholarship.  

Come talk - and if you have ideas for blog posts you’d like to see, please let me know.    --Francesca

[lesbianspeedy]

The five blogs are fine but it creates a small static experience where you don't get a lot of creation compared to larger spaces. Plus most of the works are affirmational vs transformative. Its a different sort of feel.

the five blogs are all kissing and laughing at u rn

[outoflimbo]

Because people on the internet, especially viz-a-viz AI image generation, seem to have a hard time understanding what fair use is in U.S. copyright law, here's a quick summary:

Fair use is an affirmative defense that protects artists' uses of preexisting material that might otherwise be considered copyright infringement. Being a form of affirmative defense, it is case-by-case, and it is decided in court whether or not a usage constitutes fair use and is thus protected on an individual basis. These decisions are based on precedent and individual judgement.

There are four quasi-official factors that are used to determine whether or not something constitutes fair use. I want to make clear that this checklist is not an automatic arbiter of the decision; it is used to aide the decision making.

The four factors are:

Transformative use. Does the new work utilize the borrowed materials in a novel, original way? Does it have a significantly different purpose, meaning, aesthetic or medium? There are certain purposes that are often evoked in favor of fair use as well: is the new work educational, critical, or satirical? Does it comment upon the original? Does it not merely reproduce but turns the original into a new work in and of itself? The nature of the copyrighted work. What is the nature of the material that you're borrowing from? Is the original piece in and of itself fanciful, artistic, or creative? Or is it documentary, utilitarian, "un-artistic?" Think of the difference between using a news photograph vs. an original oil painting. Also, is the original still in market? Can it still be bought? (This ties in with the fourth factor.)

The portion taken. How much of the original work is used in the derived work? Does the derived work use the main "heart" of the original piece, or only bits and pieces? Can the derived piece be seen as a replacement for the original? Are multiple different derived pieces, copyrighted or not, used as well? The effect of use upon the market. This is the most important to the decision: does this new work pose any sort of threat to the borrowed work on the market? If I use pieces of news photographs in an original collage, for example, it's safe to assume I am not significantly replacing the original in its market.

Now let's look at some cases! These are taken from https://fairuse.stanford.edu/overview/fair-use/cases/ :

Fair use. Publisher Larry Flynt made disparaging statements about the Reverend Jerry Falwell on one page of Hustler magazine. Rev. Falwell made several hundred thousand copies of the page and distributed them as part of a fund-raising effort. Important factors: Rev. Falwell’s copying did not diminish the sales of the magazine (since it was already off the market) and would not adversely affect the marketability of back issues. (Hustler Magazine, Inc. v. Moral Majority, Inc., 606 F.Supp. 1526 (C.D. Cal., 1985).)

Here, we see one of the most common fair use arguments: that the new work does not present a threat to the original in the market.

Fair use. The black comedy, Hand to God, features the famed Abbott and Costello routine “Who’s on First?” The routine is spoken by a repressed character, whose hand puppet persona mocks him for pretending to be the author of the routine. Important factors: Though the use of the routine in the movie and play both elicit laughs, the play’s usage is transformative because the audience must be aware of the original in order to “get the joke.” TCA Television Corp. v. McCollum, No. 15 Civ. 4325 (S.D. N.Y. Dec. 17, 2105).

The novel use of the comedy routine is transformative. It utilizes the original in a novel way that is aesthetically distinct and presents a new artistic voice.

Not a fair use. A company published a book of trivia questions about the events and characters of the Seinfeld television series. The book included questions based upon events and characters in 84 Seinfeld episodes and used actual dialog from the show in 41 of the book’s questions. Important factors: As in the Twin Peaks case, the book affected the owner’s right to make derivative Seinfeld works such as trivia books. (Castle Rock Entertainment, Inc. v. Carol Publ. Group, 150 F.3d 132 (2d Cir. 1998).)

Here, the question of "does it affect the copyright holder's market share?" rears its head again. Note that the decision was made on potential monetary avenues.

Fair use. A search engine’s practice of creating small reproductions (“thumbnails”) of images and placing them on its own website (known as “inlining”) did not undermine the potential market for the sale or licensing of those images. Important factors: The thumbnails were much smaller and of much poorer quality than the original photos and served to help the public access the images by indexing them. (Kelly v. Arriba-Soft, 336 F.3d. 811 (9th Cir. 2003).)

The resulting thumbnail images were found to not serve as a replacement for the original pictures, and served a public use, combining the first and fourth factors.

Full disclosure: I'm an anti-copyright socialist who thinks that the idea of intellectual property in the first place is abhorrent. However, fair use presents a very powerful, if limited, defense for artists to engage in the right to reuse, remix and plunder as they see fit. As all artists should!

If you see attempts being made to constrict fair use in any form, even in the name of "artist's rights," do not be duped.

[onewingedsparrow]

Holy Grail: Which figure do you want the most?

Crossover: Is there a series that you’d like to see a crossover of with Transformers?

Meet & Greet: If you could meet only one Transformers voice actor, which would you want to meet?

@novafire-is-thinking Heya Nova! 💜 Thanks for the ask! :D (For this ask game) Holy Grail: The giant, app-remote-control, talking Optimus Prime. Oh my goodness. I've seen videos. I've beheld it in store. He is SO COOL but my poor budget...! One day. But it is not this day :') Crossover: Oooh 👀 Lol I hope you don't mind multiple answers because here they come!!! A while ago I saw this amazing art and it blew my mind. I had never crossed-over Zelda with TF before but that was so amazing!!! I would love to see more of it! Twilight Princess Maximals are amazing. There are already robots in Skyward Sword and Breath of the Wild so why not make some of the Guardians into Transformers? Maybe even Titans? Each dungeon could be a Titan! Your companion character could be a Cityspeaker! The King of Red Lions in Wind Waker could be a Cybertronian! The Master Cycle could be a Cybertronian! There is so much room for crossover potential! I know it will probably not happen in canon, but oh, fandom has so much room for ideas. Transformers with Need for Speed would also be so fun. Idk how they would incorporate robot stuff into it, but I really just want a TF racing game where I can go to Velocitron and pit 'Bee and Knockout against each other, to the background of epic electric guitar, with the actual licensed car models. AND because I've been thinking about StarFox a lot lately...a Transformers-StarFox crossover!!! Arwings versus Seekers! Landmaster vs tank Megatron! It'd be SO easy and DELIGHTFUL to blend these two. Put the vehicles on rails...they could be fliers, in the air like normal StarFox gameplay, to "DO A BARREL ROLL" and aerial tricks like normal, OR you could have grounders, but because they're Cybertronian and a bit more athletic than the Landmaster, allow them to partial-transform and do flips and other wild and fun moves. And IMAGINE the fun dialogue boxes that would pop up onscreen when the characters talked over the comm link. FOX: I'll go it alone from here. OPTIMUS PRIME: Are you certain of this choice? FOX: You sound kinda nervous, Prime. Know something I don't? OPTIMUS PRIME: ...One does not say those words lightly. I have reservations about your intentions. PEPPY: It does ring a bell, Fox. FOX: I'm coming back, Peppy. I swear. PEPPY: ...You'd better. FALCO (after his ship is shot by friendly fire): Hey, Einstein, I'm on your side! MEGATRON: Ah, how unfortunate. My mistake. SLIPPY: Whoa! Megatron's aim was off? Was that...ac...actually a mistake? SOUNDWAVE (in a different font): Affirmative. Original target: Starscream. STARSCREAM: What?! Why me? What did I do wrong? *Soundwave's text box immediately floods with lines of code detailing every single thing Starscream has done wrong (mostly treachery and assassination attempts against Megatron) and the text flows so fast that the Player can't read it all before it's gone 😂 Lol these are all crossovers with video games, but I like them all :D I think they'd be GREAT. Even though they may never happen. Meet & Greet: This probably won't surprise you at all :) Peter Cullen. Optimus Prime can be written however Hasbro or whoever sees fit, but Peter Cullen is the one who made Optimus Prime into who he is. The emotion and feeling and, especially, WISDOM that he pours into his voice for this character is unmatchable. You can practically hear the millennia of Cybertron struggle; the weight and honor of the Matrix of Leadership; the quiet, longing hope for peace; in his gentle-but-mighty tones. He can convey layers of emotion through this voice, which I think is so important to Optimus' character, because in my humble opinion, Optimus needs nuance. Side note: just so we're clear, I genuinely don't have anything against the other Optimus VA's...but Peter Cullen's Optimus is just...special. All that to say: Peter Cullen's Optimi truly inspired me and I would love to meet him to say a "thank you" face-to-face. I really want to meet him soon if I can. I know he's getting up there in years. Thanks again for the ask! This was really fun :D

[aura-acolyte]

Off-Screen Event: Final Battle Pt. 3

(Music Box: Final Boss Theme from Pokemon Scarlet and Violet)

Mare and Kyoshi were not having nearly as much luck with the Iron Valiant. It was clearly the superior swordfighter, having them both on the ropes. What’s more, Kazoku was too weakened to help. He couldn’t even summon the strength to Mega Evolve.

Eventually, things came to a head. In one swift movement, the Iron Valiant disarmed Mare and shattered Kyoshi’s bone staff, knocking her to the ground in the process. Mare shot around to see where Kusanagi had landed. She was buried up to her blades in the ground, clearly fainted. This momentary distraction gave the Iron Valiant enough time to kick her away.

It didn’t bother following up on this, however. Instead it turned to Kyoshi. It was unclear why. Maybe it was programmed to prioritize Pokemon or maybe it simply recognized it could hurt Mare more by attacking her friend. It didn’t really matter. The Iron Valiant brought its blade down onto Kyoshi… except it didn’t. Mare blocked it.

How she was blocking it she had no idea. By all accounts her hands should have been sliced into sausages. But she was blocking it.

“I! Won’t! Let! You! Hurt! My! Friend!” Mare shouted, shoving the Iron Valiant away.

Kyoshi stood up. “ Mare, my pupil, my student, my friend. Do you feel it?”

“I do.” Mare affirmed. “It’s like a whole new Aura is flowing through me. Stronger than anything I’ve ever felt.”

“I think that this is the power Sir Aaron was talking about.” Kyoshi said.

“The power forged from the bond between us.” Mare completed. “So, wanna take it for a test drive?”

“Do you even have to ask?” Kyoshi said.

(Music Box: XY&Z (English Cover by Silver Storm) from Pokemon The Series: XYZ)

Both of them glowed with power unlike anything seen before and they began to transform. Kyoshi’s fur turned from blue to red. White Rayquaza markings appeared on her arms and legs in the exact same locations as Mare’s scars. Her feelers became ribbon-like, all red except for a white band.

Mare, meanwhile, grew blue fur on her arms and legs. Spikes appeared on the back of her hands. A pair of blue ears sprouted on her head and her hair turned blue. Her eyes changed from gray to red, more resembling a Mega Lucario’s than a human’s.

“Let’s go! Full power!” Mare and Kyoshi shouted together.

They charged at the Iron Valiant, hitting it at lightning speed. And then they did it again and again, pulling off sick combo moves. It couldn’t fight back, they didn’t give it a chance.

Extreme Speed comboing into Bone Rush. Aura Sphere Baseball (thanks, Serene). Mare even finally learned Close Combat. It was more one-sided than Rayquaza vs Groudon and Kyogre.

Finally, they finished off with a massive Aura combined Aura Sphere, engulfing the Iron Valiant. When the dust cleared, it was on the ground, fainted.

Mare and Kyoshi transformed, returning to their original looks. They gave each other a high five.

(Music Box: None)

J, who was still busy fighting Team Rocket while trying to stay in the air with only one wing, looked over to see that both her Pokemon had been defeated.

“Son of a bitch!” She cursed.

“Hah.” Jessie laughed. “Looks like you’re out of tricks. Just give up.” J growled. “Fine. You can have your Mew. But I’m not out of tricks.”

She pressed a button on her gauntlet and everything exploded. During her fight with Regice and Registeel she had planted bombs all over the tree, just in case. This was a “just in case” scenario.

J recalled her two fallen Pokemon and pressed another button on her gauntlet. Her jetpack went into overdrive, speeding her out of there before she anybody could catch her. With not much else to do the TRio flew down to the ground to meet up with the twerps. 

“What do we do!” James shouted.

“I say we book it!” Meowth said.

“Seconded.” Jessie added.

“We can’t.” Riley said. “This tree is connected to the lifeforce of every being in Kanto and Johto. If it dies there could be disastrous consequences.”

“So?” Meowth asked, holding onto the case with Mew in it. “What are we supposed tuh do about it? We're just small time crooks. Yuh tink about dat, smart guy?”

“Mew.” Kazoku said. “Free Mew and it can… restore the tree.”

“Oh! Yes, of course!” James said. “Meowth, give it here!”

The three Team Rocket members fiddled with the case for a bit. Eventually, Mare lost patience and grabbed it out of their hands before smashing it. Slowly, Mew unfroze. It looked around blearily before noticing the fire.

“Mew!” It shouted in distress.

Kazoku stood up slowly and limped over to Mew. “Mew, Ancestor to all Pokemon, please use your power to restore this Tree.” Mew shook its head. “Mew! Mew!”

“What’s it saying?” Mare asked. “I can’t understand it.” This was very distressing to her but she’d have to figure it out later.

“It does not have the power to heal the tree.” Kazoku said.

“So we’re doomed?” James asked.

Kazoku shook his head. “No. If I sacrifice my power then it will have enough.” “But… you’ll die.” Riley pointed out.

Kazoku chuckled. “I was supposed to die a long time ago. Now, all of you, stand back.”

(Music Box: Aaron’s Theme ~ Farewell Lucario from Lucario and the Mystery of Mew)

They all did so. Kazoku held out his hands in front of Mew. He closed his eyes as a sphere of Aura appeared at the end of his arms. The sphere grew larger and larger, as it did Kazoku changed. He seemed to grow coattails and a hat resembling Sir Aaron. The shape of the pin on Sir Aaron's hat emblazoned his shoulders. Eventually, the sphere engulfed both Kazoku and Mew. The swirling Pink of Mew mixed with the blue of the Aura.

Aaron. Kazoku thought to himself. We will be reunited soon.

The ball of energy exploded upwards and covered the entire tree. Not just that, but for a brief second it spread over all of Kanto. And when the light cleared and everybody could see again… the tree appeared as if it had never been burning at all. The injuries of everybody present were healed completely. And Mew and Kazoku had vanished. So ends this chapter of the Legend of Sir Aaron and his loyal Lucario friend Kazoku.

[likita123]

Fast, Flexible, and Digital: The New Era of Lending and How to Invest in It

Introduction

In today’s fast-paced digital world, the traditional lending industry is undergoing a radical transformation. With the rise of fintech companies, new digital lending platforms are replacing outdated models, offering faster, more flexible, and more accessible financial solutions. Whether it’s peer-to-peer lending, buy now, pay later (BNPL) services, or digital mortgage platforms, the lending landscape has shifted dramatically in favor of efficiency and convenience.

For investors, this presents a lucrative opportunity. The global digital lending market is booming, driven by technological advancements, data-driven credit assessments, and consumer demand for speedier financial solutions. In this blog, we’ll dive into the key aspects of the new era of lending, the potential rewards and risks for investors, and the best strategies to capitalize on this emerging trend.

1. The Evolution of Lending: From Banks to Digital Platforms

a. Traditional Lending vs. Digital Lending

For decades, traditional banks and financial institutions were the primary sources of loans for businesses and consumers. This process often involved lengthy paperwork, credit checks, and waiting times, leading to frustration for borrowers.

Enter digital lending platforms, which have redefined how people and businesses access credit. Unlike traditional banks, these platforms leverage technology to assess creditworthiness more efficiently, often using AI and machine learning algorithms to evaluate borrower data. Digital lenders can approve loans in hours or even minutes, making the process faster and more transparent.

b. Types of Digital Lending

Peer-to-Peer Lending (P2P): Platforms like LendingClub and Funding Circle connect individual borrowers with investors, bypassing traditional financial institutions.

Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL): Companies like Affirm, Klarna, and Afterpay allow consumers to split payments into interest-free installments, offering more flexibility.

Digital Mortgages: Simple, Online Mortgage | Better Mortgage and Blend streamline the mortgage approval process, allowing borrowers to apply for home loans completely online.

Small Business Lending: Fintech lenders such as Kabbage and OnDeck provide fast, digital solutions for small business owners seeking working capital.

2. The Benefits of Digital Lending

a. Speed and Convenience

One of the key benefits of digital lending platforms is the speed at which loans are approved. Consumers and businesses can apply for a loan online, have their creditworthiness assessed in minutes, and receive funding within hours. This is particularly advantageous for small businesses, startups, and individuals in need of quick access to capital.

b. Greater Flexibility

Traditional lending often comes with rigid terms and conditions. In contrast, digital lenders offer more flexible repayment options, personalized interest rates, and even alternative lending models such as revenue-based financing for businesses.

c. Broader Accessibility

Digital lenders can serve borrowers who may not qualify for traditional loans due to lack of credit history or other factors. By using alternative data sources, such as income history, social media activity, or transaction records, these platforms can assess creditworthiness more holistically, providing access to credit for underserved populations.

d. Lower Operational Costs

Digital lending platforms typically have lower overhead costs compared to traditional banks, allowing them to offer competitive rates and lower fees to borrowers. For investors, this translates into better margins and higher returns.

3. Investment Opportunities in the Digital Lending Space

a. Peer-to-Peer Lending Platforms

Peer-to-peer (P2P) lending platforms offer one of the most accessible ways to invest in digital lending. As an investor, you can fund loans directly to individual borrowers or small businesses, earning interest as the loans are repaid. While returns can be higher than traditional investments, P2P lending carries risk, particularly if borrowers default. To mitigate this, many platforms offer risk assessment tools and allow investors to diversify across multiple loans.

Example platforms: LendingClub, Prosper, Funding Circle.

b. Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) Companies

The BNPL sector is exploding, especially among younger consumers who prefer flexible payment options. BNPL providers partner with retailers to allow customers to make purchases and pay in installments. For investors, BNPL companies are appealing due to their rapid growth and increasing adoption by both consumers and merchants.

Example companies: Affirm, Afterpay, Klarna.

c. Small Business Lending

Investing in platforms that lend to small businesses can offer attractive returns, especially as more small enterprises turn to fintech for quick capital. These platforms often cater to businesses that can’t easily access traditional bank loans, providing loans based on revenue and business data rather than just credit scores.

Example platforms: Kabbage, OnDeck, BlueVine.

d. Digital Mortgage and Auto Loan Providers

The mortgage and auto loan markets are ripe for disruption, with digital-first lenders offering a faster, more efficient alternative to traditional loans. Companies in this space are automating the application process, reducing the time and complexity for borrowers, and offering more competitive interest rates.

Example companies: Simple, Online Mortgage | Better Mortgage, Rocket Mortgage, Carvana.

4. The Risks of Investing in Digital Lending

a. Regulatory Risk

Digital lending platforms operate in a highly regulated industry, and changes in regulations can impact their business models. Regulatory scrutiny on consumer protection, interest rate caps, and data privacy can affect profitability, particularly for startups.

b. Credit Risk

The risk of borrower default is a significant concern for investors, particularly in peer-to-peer and small business lending. Platforms may offer risk assessments and loan grading, but economic downturns can increase default rates.

c. Competition

The digital lending space is becoming increasingly competitive, with new players entering the market regularly. This competition can lead to lower margins, higher customer acquisition costs, and pressure on profits for established companies.

d. Economic Sensitivity

Lending businesses are sensitive to broader economic conditions. In times of economic downturn or uncertainty, borrowers may struggle to repay loans, which can lead to higher default rates and lower returns for investors.

5. How to Invest Wisely in the Digital Lending Revolution

a. Diversify Across Platforms

Diversifying your investments across multiple platforms and loan types can help mitigate risk. By spreading your capital across different sectors (e.g., P2P lending, BNPL, and business loans), you reduce the impact of defaults from any single borrower or market segment.

b. Focus on Proven Platforms

While startups can offer higher returns, they also come with higher risks. Consider investing in established digital lending platforms with proven track records, robust risk management processes, and solid financial performance.

c. Stay Informed on Regulation

Investors should keep a close eye on evolving regulations that could impact the digital lending sector. Changes in consumer lending laws, privacy regulations, or fintech compliance can have significant consequences for these businesses.

d. Monitor Loan Performance

Platforms often provide tools for tracking the performance of your loans. Regularly monitor your portfolio’s performance, paying attention to factors such as repayment rates, delinquency, and borrower behavior.

Outcome

The new era of lending is fast, flexible, and driven by digital innovation. As fintech continues to disrupt the traditional financial system, investors have unprecedented opportunities to capitalize on this shift. Whether through peer-to-peer lending, buy now pay later services, or digital mortgage platforms, the potential for high returns is clear. However, with this opportunity comes risk, and careful consideration of regulatory challenges, competition, and credit risk is essential.

[pluralsword]

(one must be gentle) they can hold hands. Love Flamewar and Shadow Striker together so much. The smaller side of Flamewar's hand, where the thumb is, is what we squeezed through Shadow Striker's hand slowly, be careful

Also spinning wheels image that is either just non-sexual sensuality pg13 or somewhat lewd (imo also in pg13 territory) depending on context. Going by Lost Light where Roller is spinning Nickel's wheel feet in public and commenting that she has very nice wheels while Nickel smiles about it and enjoys it, it isn't necessarily horny enough or intimate enough to avoid doing in public. But on a basis of Devils Due (humor, decidedly, but still) it might be given that in G.I. Joe vs. The Transformers III Arcee flirts with Bumblebee by saying 'forget kissing you if you win our race to the spacebridge, I'll rotate your tires instead,' which while decidedly different than spinning someone's wheels since rotating tires means switching tire positions on a vehicle/bot (which is actually important for maintenance and upkeep which raises more questions), Bumblebee then yelling 'Wahoo!' and racing ahead makes us wonder how he'd feel about wheels getting touched in general.

For the sake of our own writing we share on this account and this image, we write sensory touch of different parts of the body of a transformer in this manner whether wings or wheels or back stacks or doors or tails or what have you as something partnering bots do for aesthetic/gender affirmation and euphoria which does confer a sort of pleasure of 'making real' (if you want to be academic, reification) in particular in part because it helps them connect with their alt mode and the shape they enjoy, rather than er, a sexual drive, though it certainly can be sensual. We suppose that touching one's corresponding arm or thigh parts while they are in alt mode would be similar, though we haven't written that yet. It's not just a multimodal thing though, its also just, sharing one's shapes with each other and making love in that regard. Which is a very trusting intimate thing to do with someone whether or not sex is involved, as many asexual people could tell you. If you want examples of our writing in this sense, you can check out:

-some chromeblade smooching and wing and wheel touching in Chapter 7 of Rekindling Flight, before we figured out how to write the euphoria aspect of this in a lovemaking manner. We might go back and add to this.

-Chapter 3 and Chapter 15 of Addendum (an IDW1 Arcee novel fanfic) with Arcee/Codexa and Anode/Lug respectively, amusingly Chapter 3 is before Arcee's surgery and Chapter 15 is before Anode's while she and Lug are still trying to figure out their genders, so they both have a sense of trying to give and/or receiving euphoria to help with dysphoria by reifying parts of the body the two wanted to change

-Trusting Transformations is an Arcee x reader fic that also touches on this (the reader's character is a gender/aesthetically expansive transformer)

We want to talk about casual or reassuring contextually non-sensual public touch of alt mode kibble is commonplace among friends or from aesthetic/gender kinship but don't have the spoons to get into that and real world human bodied parallels rn. And yes that, and intimate affirmation touch are all things we have experienced and that we are deeply glad for

[casbooks]

Book 43 of 2024 (★★★★)

Title: Cherries (A Vietnam War Novel) Authors: John Podlaski

ISBN: 978-1452879819 Rating: ★★★★ Subject: Books.Fiction.Military.Vietnam, Books.Military.20th-21st Century.Asia.Vietnam War.Fiction

Description: In 1970, John Kowalski was among the many young, inexperienced soldiers sent to Vietnam to participate in a contentious war. Referred to as “Cherries” by their veteran counterparts, these recruits were plunged into a horrific reality. The on-the-job training was rigorous, yet most of these youths were ill-prepared to handle the severe mental, emotional, and physical demands of combat. Experiencing enemy fire and observing death up close initiates a profound transformation that is irreversible.

The author excels at storytelling. Readers affirm feeling immersed alongside the characters, partaking in their struggle for survival, experiencing the fear, awe, drama, and grief, observing acts of courage, and occasionally sharing in their humor.

"Cherries" presents an unvarnished account, and upon completion, readers will gain a deeper appreciation for the trials these young men faced over a year. It's a narrative that grips the reader throughout.

My Review: While I've been on a bit of a Vietnam War nonfiction bent lately, I decided to switch things up and go for what I'm assuming to be an almost autobiographical novel of one mans experience in the later part of the war.

As a soldier, the main character joins the Wolfhounds of the 25th ID not long after the Cambodian Incursion, and past some of the worst of the 68/69 battles. His experiences takes him over familiar territories such as the Iron Triangle, Ho Bo Woods, Michelin Rubber Plantation, and more where he and his unit uncover base camps, tunnels, and see quite a bit of action. For the latter part of his tour, as Vietnamization takes hold, the 25th is sent home and he is transfered to the 101st and the infamous A Shau valley.

That is the real strength of this book. You get a really good juxtaposition of the two units and how different the war was for both. From tactics like digging in at their night defensive positions and how they deploy mechanical ambushes, to wearing helmets vs boonie hats when out on patrol. From flat land and orderly tree plantations to hiking up mountains and walking along ridge lines. You also get a real feel for the different jobs in the unit. The main character arrives as an FNG who can barely tie his own laces, to eventually walking point, being the M-60 gunner, and being the radioman.

As far as the writing goes, while it is a little formulaic and the characters are a little cardboard, his strength is in the stories he tells, the way the people give color and flavor to the situations, and both pacing and narrative. The spelling errors are minimal (sometimes it's boonie hat, sometimes it's boony) and sometimes it can be hard to tell who is talking during some of the dialog, but none of that is really distracting as it can be in other books. My one main gripe is that this is not a book about Cherries, but about a single Cherry… this is the Polack's story and his alone. This is about his experiences and growth, and it is singularly focused even as he becomes an experienced veteran and helps new cherries.

Honestly, this book really hits all of its marks, and it's really an enjoyable read from start to finish as long as you understand that this is really a well crafted and excellent novelization of what is basically a memoir.

[gpstudios]

📖✨ Exploring the Profound Teachings of ACIM: Chapter 1, Section 1, Verse 14 ✨📖

Hello, beloved friends! Let’s continue our enlightening journey through "A Course in Miracles" (ACIM) by reflecting on Chapter 1, Section 1, Verse 14:

"Miracles bear witness to truth. They are convincing because they arise from conviction. Without conviction, they deteriorate into magic, which is mindless and therefore destructive; or rather, the uncreative use of mind."

This verse offers profound insights into the nature of miracles and the importance of conviction in our spiritual practice. Let’s delve into its deep meaning and explore how it can guide us on our path to enlightenment.

🌟 Miracles as Witnesses to Truth 🌟

ACIM teaches that miracles bear witness to truth. They are manifestations of divine truth and love, reflecting the higher reality that exists beyond our physical perceptions. When we experience a miracle, it is a powerful affirmation that truth and love are the fundamental forces in our lives. This understanding encourages us to seek and recognize the truth in all aspects of our existence, knowing that miracles are tangible expressions of this truth.

💖 The Power of Conviction 💖

The verse emphasizes that miracles are convincing because they arise from conviction. Conviction here refers to a deep, unwavering belief in the power of love and the divine. When our thoughts, actions, and intentions are rooted in this conviction, miracles naturally flow from us. This highlights the importance of cultivating strong faith and trust in the divine. It is our inner certainty and alignment with truth that empower us to be channels for miracles.

🔮 Miracles vs. Magic 🔮

ACIM draws a clear distinction between miracles and magic. While miracles are expressions of divine love and truth, magic is described as the mindless and uncreative use of mind. Magic, in this context, refers to attempts to manipulate or control reality without a deep understanding or alignment with divine principles. It is driven by ego and fear, rather than love and conviction. This misuse of the mind can be destructive, leading to illusions and further separation from our true selves.

✨ Creative Use of Mind ✨

To fully embrace the teachings of this verse, we can focus on using our minds creatively and constructively. This involves aligning our thoughts and actions with love, truth, and divine guidance. By doing so, we become conduits for miracles, using our minds to create healing, transformation, and positive change in the world. This creative use of mind is both empowering and fulfilling, as it connects us with our higher purpose and the infinite possibilities of the divine.

🌈 Living with Conviction and Truth 🌈

As we meditate on this verse, let’s commit to living with conviction and truth. Let’s cultivate a deep, unwavering belief in the power of love and the divine, allowing this conviction to guide our thoughts and actions. By doing so, we open ourselves to the flow of miracles and use our minds in alignment with our highest purpose.

💫✨ Embrace the power of conviction and let your life bear witness to the truth through miracles! ✨💫